The ancient Eburum was a
Lucanian
city, mentioned only by
Pliny the Elder
and in inscriptions, not far distant from the Campanian border. It lay above the
Via Popilia,
which followed the line taken by the modern railway.

A local saying, "Cristo
si
fermato
a Eboli"
("Christ stopped at Eboli"), was used by
20th century
writer
Carlo Levi
as the title of a book, referring to the poverty in the south of Italy at the
beginning of the 20th century.